Tuesday - Wellington

With our optimistic heads on (it had been raining all night, and showed no signs of stopping) we drove out for the day to see some of the City’s sights that were only reachable by driving.

First stop was Ben’s request for the day, The Weta Cave…get ready all you film boffs!

WETA is a multi Academy Award winning company whose artists and craftsmen have worked on the special effects of The Lord Of The Rings, Avatar, and King Kong to name a few.  Experiencing the Weta Cave is a truly unique experience, where we came face to face with some of the films characters, props and displays.

We also stayed to watch the exclusive ‘behind the scenes’ film, which showed interviews with its co-founders, including Peter Jackson.

Next stop was Nicola’s request of the day…Red Rocks, where a 5km walk would get us to a fur seal colony.  Now, we would love to be able to say we made it, but the weather was truly abysmal and we got drenched just by turning our gas on! 

So, after having lunch in the car park watching the Interisland Ferry struggling across from the South Island we drove back to the camp site.  In the late afternoon we caught the bus into town and had a wander…buying some thermals in preparation for our imminent departure to the South Island.

Monday – Martinborough to Wellington

Today the plan was to drive from Martinborough to Wellington…which we finally did after sleeping off our red wine headaches!  Our headaches got momentarily stronger when we worked out how many ‘tastings’ we had done…now before we disclose this, please remember that they are very small-ish amounts per tasting…42!!!

Last night was by no means a late one, we were both out for the count at 9pm (out of drinking practise!).  But, being the dedicated football fan Ben had his alarm on for 2am, and was up watching the England match on the Internet in the camp kitchen.  Needless to say the flag came down the next morning!!

The drive to Wellington was a picturesque one through the mountains, and the weather was pleasant.  We checked into our campsite (or should we say motel carpark) on the outskirts of Wellington and spent the afternoon chilling out and doing our laundry.

Sunday – Martinborough and the wine tasting tour!

The van’s expert map reader (obviously Ben) planned a detailed route for the day, touring around some of Martinborough’s 50 boutique vineyards, some no bigger than a front garden (there is hope for that vine in your garden yet Mum Smith!).

As the majority of the vineyards were within a 3km radius of town we decided to stretch our legs and walk. So, we set off with a spring in our step, and high hopes on today's tasting experience.  We walked along the quaint high street and past the glamorous old fashioned town hotel.

First stop was Canadoro Wines, a small family owned winery where we sampled a handful of wines including Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir.

Vineyard number 2 was Tirohana Estate, where we stuck to our favourites and only sampled the reds.

A short walk away was Haythornthwaite Wines, another small family run business where we sampled all that was on offer – this was Nicola’s favourite of the day!

Next stop was Ben’s favourite of the day Ata Rangi, again we tried all that was on offer…and left feeling like our cheeks had well and truly started glowing!

With a quick stop at Schubert (lets not mention the Germans!), we stopped in at Margrain Vineyard, where after sampling their full catalogue we made a purchase…’Mad Red’, made from the Martinborough mystery grape, and delicious!  As time was getting on a bit we decided to visit their on site cafe to eat lunch, and what better to have with wine!

Only 2 more stops before throwing in the towel….Martinborough Vineyard and Muirlea Rise…phew!   Feeling slightly giggly we walked back to our campsite via the Martinborough Wine Centre where we purchased 1 more bottle of red for a later date.

We sat reading our tasting notes and reminiscing on what a good day we had had…and thought what better than to toast the day with the wines we had bought…which was a slippery slope…hick!

Saturday – Wanganui to Martinborough

An early start as we had a big drive ahead.  After a couple of hours on the road we made our first stop, in a small town called Woodville.  Now you would be forgiven for not having heard of this place, it is merely at a junction of two major highways, however there was a certain shop there!

Famous in these parts is Yummy Mummy’s Cheesecakes…and what is Nicola’s favourite pudding?!  So, in we went…and out we came with boysenberry and white chocolate cheesecake, and Ben had a mince pie – which he shared with Nicola for elevenses. 

Next stop was Mangatainoka village, a standard back country village…couple of houses, couple of farms….BUT this place has something different!  The Tui Brewery, and how could we pass this place and the chance of a spot of ‘tasting’. 

Now, as Nicola was driving Ben had to charitably drink her beer tokens…slippery slope people, especially at 11am and months out of practise! 

6 tokens later and we were hitting the road heading further south, stopping next at Pukaha Mount Bruce, a bird sanctuary for NZ’s endangered birdlife.  We were lucky enough to see native eels, kakariki, kokako, kiwi and the lovely kaka (we think they liked the letter ‘k’ when naming their birdlife!).

 

Ben got up close and personal with the kaka, a NZ parrot.

Our final drive of the day was to the wine capital of the Wellington region – Martinborough, where we got a site at the village campsite.  After dinner we tucked into our delicious cheesecake…and yes, Nicola DID share it with Ben ;-)!

Friday – Wanganui, a day on the river

Our hope of taking a trip out on the Whanganui River today was confirmed by an early phone call from the jet boat company…the weather was set to stay fairly settled so we could get a trip upstream to the famous Flying Fox.

We drove out of town and up the Whanganui River Road (due to European translations of Maori names the river name has a ‘h’ and the town does not).  When early Europeans first settled in this area the river was known as the ‘Rhine of the South’, as it is the longest navigable river in NZ.  Historically it functioned as a transport link between sea and interior, first for the Maori and later the European settlers.

It is one of the most scenic drives on the North Island, however due to its steepness and sharp twists and turns it would take the best part of a day to complete its 70km (approx 50 miles).  We stopped for a picture at this scenic viewpoint and marvelled at the stunning terrain of this beautiful part of the country.

Fortunately we were only driving 6kms of this slow going road, the rest we would do by river.  We met our hosts Mark and Claire Wickham, who run the jet boat company from their rural farm on the banks of the river.  A short walk down to the river through their farm and we boarded the boat and set off up stream.

We passed the oyster cliffs, named for the hundreds of thousands of large oyster shells that are compressed into their steep sides.  This whole area was once sea bed, and over millions of years it has been uplifted by plate shifts and volcanic activity.

After an hour on the river we disembarked at the Flying Fox, an eco getaway on the riverbank – the only route in or out was by jet boat or flying fox (zip wire) across the river.  Although it was closed for winter we were allowed to have a look around the property, much to Nicola’s delight, and it soon became somewhere we would love to return to…I'm sure you will realise why!

The individual cottages (built by the owners) were all customised with quirky details; outdoor toilet, fire heated baths and showers, beautiful ornate finishing inside and all eco friendly!

We loved everything here, including the cute guard dog – Billy!

We sat for hours chatting to Mark the boat driver/owner and the other couple on the tour Mary Rose and Robert, it was great to spend time with some Kiwi’s learning about their lives here in NZ. 

Time had completely run away and by the time we said goodbye to Billy, boarded the boat and made our way back down river it was turning 3pm.  Back in the van on our drive back to Wanganui we stopped at Upokongaro village to visit St Mary’s Church, built in 1877, it is famous for its ‘wonky’ spire.

Thursday – Stratford to Wanganui

This morning was a clear and crisp start, however according to the weather man it was not set to last, so we were up and out heading once again up the mountain to the East Egmont Plateau.  Not before checking the internet for the football results of course (as the match was on at 3am this morning, and only Sky2 seems to show it…which no one seems to have!).  After hearing that England are through we set off on the road happy campers!

We went optimistically to the same viewpoint that we had visited yesterday, and the contrast was amazing!

We were happy that the weather had been kind, if only it was just for a couple of hours this morning.

Next we drove south to Wanganui and had a wander around the city centre, stopping at the Whanganui River Boat Centre to read about the importance the river has had over the years since early European settlement.

Late in the afternoon we checked into our campsite for the night, the Castlecliff Holiday Park.  And, Ben deliberated over where to put his new souvenir!

Wednesday – Opunake to Stratford, and the hike that was never to be!

We deliberated this morning; do we stay here at Opunake Holiday Park for 2 more nights, in the best camp site we have stayed in yet (and do the 3 hour round trip to Egmont National Park each day for hiking), or travel onwards to Stratford (the town nearest to Egmont National Park)??  We decided to drive to Stratford and take in a hike on route.

As we set off the views of Mount Taranaki were spectacular, however we could see the clouds rolling in in the distance.

By the time we had driven to East Egmont plateau, which was part way up the mountain the clouds had rolled in, and looked set to stay.  Our first hike was looking less likely as we strolled to the viewpoint which was cold, wet and windy…and the panoramic scene that was promised was just a misty cloud.

Hot chocolate and biscuits in the van to warm up, and we drove to another trail head, but the same situation ensued.  So, we headed into Stratford town to visit the Information Centre to see what they could suggest.  Stratford, which takes inspiration from its namesake Stratford-Upon-Avon has named all of its streets after famous Shakespearean characters…however, neither of us had heard of a character called Fenton (answers on a postcard please)!!  We stopped to watch and listen to New Zealand’s first glockenspiel clock chime at 1pm, and marvel at Romeo and Juliet who appeared out of the tower to act out the well known scene.

Then on the info centres recommendation we drove onwards in our quest for a hike…this time to Dawson Falls, where we climbed again into the clouds and disappeared into the mist, where the rain was incessant.  So folks, we hate to report that we gave up after 5 hours of searching, and at 3pm we drove to the Stratford campsite.

Having not stayed at a central town site before we were a bit apprehensive, especially when we went to check in and the lady in front of us was a probation officer enquiring after a client of hers that was supposedly staying there!  It was an uneventful night though, and the 50s style decor (all of which was baby pink) in the facilities added to the ‘uniqueness’ of this place!

Tuesday – New Plymouth to Opunake on the Surf Highway 45

A beautiful sunrise this morning, which was a real treat after 2 days of terrible stormy showers and gusting winds.  So, we finally got to appreciate our amazing sea views over breakfast.

We also had another treat as we stepped out the van…a semi-clear view of Mount Taranaki.

We set out taking the Surf Highway 45 south from New Plymouth, passing some beautiful black sand beaches on our journey.  First stop was Cape Egmont Lighthouse, built in London in the mid 1800s and shipped in segments to NZ in 1865, for use on this westerly point, where it was manually operated until 1986.

Our destination today was Opunake, a surf-style town halfway along our scenic drive.  Home for the next 3 nights is Opunake Beach Holiday Park, and as we are the only guests we got the pick of sites.  Located in a sheltered black sand bay, surrounded by Pohutukawa trees, it truly is a great spot!  And, as you can see from the below photo our van looks rather lonely!

We took a walk into town, a one street kind of place, and inspected the famous murals that decorated all of the buildings…the local surf hostel would have won our first prize for effort and design!

Monday – A day out in New Plymouth

So, this morning an important task lay ahead…firstly some background info! As you may know Nicola’s little sister Tracy is joining us on 5th August for an exciting 3 weeks travelling north from Christchurch, the plans are already in place and it is set to be an AMAZING journey!!  But, the pressure was on as she had sent a request to get our hands on some All Blacks tickets for a match in Christchurch on 7th August against Australia…a match that is set to be a big affair between these two bitter rivals!  Our alarm was on and we were up and online ready for release, and thanks to Ben’s nimble fingers we are now the proud owner of 3 tickets…better start practising the Haka Tracy!!! 

So, after the early start we drove to Lake Mangamahoe just outside the city in hope of finding the promised ‘picture postcard’ view of Mount Taranaki.  We set off on the grade medium/hard lake circuit walk and started our journey on a very hilly route through native forests.

At the half way point around we stopped at the lookout, looking back over the lake waiting for the dormant volcano’s snowy peak to come into view, but sadly all we saw in it’s place was a rainbow.

When we finished the circuit walk we drove to Pukekura Park, and after having lunch we took a stroll around the large city park, where we treated ourselves to an ice-cream and stopped to look at Poet’s Bridge.

Next stop was Brooklands Zoo, which stood in the grounds of the park, and was free!!  It was very impressive for a free zoo, with a varied selection of animals…our favourite being the three lazy pigs, and the colourful birds in the free flight aviary.

That afternoon we went and watched ‘The A-Team’ at the local cinema.

Parting word goes to Josie…we found another impressive toilet (at the zoo) and thought you would like to see….hee hee!